Why is Ron O’Brien So Anxious To Kill a Crippled Old Man?

Bald old man with black-rimmed glasses and ears sticking out on each side of his had big a huge frown as if he has not teeth in a white hospital gown looking very sad

Ohio plans to execute Alva Campbell on November 15, 2017, in revenge for his 1997 murder of Charles Dials, a crime to which Campbell confessed and pled guilty. However, the person Alva Campbell is today is not the same person he was when he committed his crimes.

Campbell’s case was infamous in central Ohio. He feigned illness and attacked the lone deputy sheriff who had left Campbell unrestrained while escorting him to the hospital. He then carjacked Charles Dials and ended up killing the 18-year-old before being re-captured. None of this is in dispute.

Also not disputable: Alva Campbell is a very sick man [AB1] who may well die “naturally,” possibly within months. The optics are ugly. The photograph of Campbell was taken in late September. A clemency application by Campbell’s attorneys thoroughly lists all of Campbell’s medical conditions at length. A short excerpt from the application states:

“[Campbell] is suffering from a variety of chronic diseases and is terminally ill. In recent years, he has had multiple organs surgically removed (including most of one lung, his thyroid, his prostate, and most recently all of his lower colon). He requires an external colostomy bag. He falls without the aid of a walker. He requires the constant use of inhalers and four breathing treatments a day to permit him to breathe. He has lost a significant amount of weight in the last two years. As recently as this summer, Alva was spitting up blood and diagnosed with pneumonia. Because the pneumonia was not cleared up with antibiotic treatment, doctors now believe his lung cancer may have returned. The severity of these combined illnesses have left Alva debilitated and frail.”

“It would be an embarrassment to the state and to Governor Kasich to execute such a frail, sickly, elderly man,” said Kevin Werner, Executive Director of Ohioans to Stop Executions. “Campbell is not the man he was back in 1997. He is not a danger to society and he is certainly paying a painful price. Think about it – terminal illness is bad enough. Just imagine being so ill while living in maximum security prison. If you really want to see him suffer, just leave him to die alone in prison.”

Ohioans to Stop Executions recently released a video on its website (OTSE.org) chronicling the many medical conditions Campbell suffers from. Campbell’s health is so frail that he cannot lie flat on his back without breathing difficulty, which adds one more complication for state workers whose job it will be to lie him down for a lethal injection.

On top of his health issues, the state has failed Campbell throughout his life. He experienced some of the most severe childhood abuse and neglect ever reported in a death penalty case, went in and out of foster care without trauma treatment, and ultimately resorted to a life of criminal activity. None of this excuses what Campbell did, or suggests he should be free. However, this trend of failure in Campbell’s life will only continue if the state executes an extremely frail, elderly man.

Why is Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien so anxious for this particular case to be resolved with an execution? This was the first big murder case following his election. O’Brien personally tried the case and consistently points to Campbell as the "poster child" for the death penalty. In general, O’Brien is one of the biggest advocates for executions in Ohio, and after years of waiting, he’s finally got one of his cases set for execution. It just doesn’t look good.

Help Stop The Execution

· Visit OTSE.org [AB2] to learn more and to send a message to Governor Kasich.

· Call Governor Kasich directly at 855-782-6925

· Call Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien at 614-525-3555and tell him to ask Governor Kasich to issue a reprieve and allow Campbell to die quietly in prison.

· Join the weekly Wednesday demonstration from 11:30am to 1pm outside the Governor’s office on the corner of State & High.

· If the execution goes forward, protesters will gather [AB3] at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility starting at 9am. In Columbus, gather from 9:30am to 10:30am at the McKinley statue on High St. in front of the State Capitol

Now 69 years old, Alva Campbell is dependent on inhalers for four breathing treatments every day. He has limited mobility, requires the use of a walker, and is dependent on a colostomy bag. He has numerous serious medical conditions:

1971: brachial asthma & inhaler dependent
1975: lung abnormalities
1984: mitral valve prolapse
1984: carotid vascular disease
1984: stroke
1984: pulmonary embolism
1986: lung collapse
1986: mitral valve prolapse
1986: congestive heart failure
1986: thyroid cyst
1996: COPD
1996: apical fibrosis
1999: centilobular emphysema
2000: nodule in right lung
2000: removal of most of right lung
2003: pulmonary hypertension
2006: collapsed lung
2006: pneumonia
2006: lung mass
2012: atrial fibrillation
2014: new nodules in right lung
2014: emphysema
2015: prostate cancer
2015: prostatectomy
2015: MRSA
2015: pneumonia
2016: shattered right hip
2016: hip replacement surgery
2016: gangrenous colon
2016: removed lower intestine
2017: pneumonia
2017: lung cancer